MSRDC Board Member Receives Bounce Trumpet Award

02/09/2018 03:50 PM

Dr. Johnson Receives Innovator Award to Herald His Accomplishments as a Black Humanitarian

Lonnie Johnson Lonnie Johnson

WASHINGTON, DC: The 2018 Bounce Trumpet Awards on Sunday, February 11, 2018, will honor MSI STEM Research & Development Consortium Board Member, Dr. Lonnie Johnson with the Innovator Award. The Innovator Award honors a person who has introduced or created a new idea, method or product that influences the productivity or advancement of a group. For 26 years The Trumpet Award has recognized individuals and/or groups who augment the richness of this great global society by partnering with the cause of justice and equality of all. The awards were created to herald the accomplishments of black humanitarians who have succeeded against immense odds. The Trumpet Awards will air on Bounce TV at 9 PM EST/8 CST.

Special recognition is given to the few, symbolic of the many, who have overcome the ills of racism and poverty and achieved greatness. Past honorees include such luminaries as Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Ray Charles, President Nelson Mandela, Beyoncé, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many more.

Lonnie Johnson is President and Founder of Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., a technology development company, and its spin-off companies, Excellatron Solid State, LLC; Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems, LLC; and Johnson Real Estate Investments, LLC. He worked as a research engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and then joined the U. S. Air Force, serving as Acting Chief of the Space Nuclear Power Safety Section at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory. He later became a Senior Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he worked on the Galileo mission to Jupiter. Johnson holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering and an honorary Ph.D. in Science from Tuskegee University.

After returning to the Air Force he served as an Advanced Space Systems Requirements Officer at Strategic Air Command (SAC) headquarters and as Chief of the Data Management Branch, SAC Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base. He was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal on two occasions. He returned to the JPL and worked on the Mars Observer project during the Cassini (Saturn) project.

Dr. Johnson formed his own engineering firm and licensed his most famous invention, the Super Soaker® water gun, to Larami Corporation. The Super Soaker® generated over $200 million in retail sales and became the number one selling toy in America. Larami Corporation was purchased by Hasbro Corporation and Super Soaker® sales have totaled close to one billion dollars. Johnson holds over 80 patents, with over 20 more pending, and is the author of several publications on spacecraft power systems. His current focus, the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter (JTEC), has the potential to achieve efficient, renewable solar energy.

Dr. Johnson serves on the Board of Directors of MSI STEM Research and Development Consortium (MSRDC) in Washington, DC. MSRDC, in partnership with the Department of Defense, supports and stimulates Science and Technology (S&T) related research at Minority Serving Institutions for real-world applications to real-world problems to maintain and enhance the technological dominance of the United States in a competitive world. He also serves on several other prestigious Board of Directors in Atlanta and is a member of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.

The 26th annual awards will be hosted by film and television stars, Larenz Tate and Erica Ash. Featuring stellar performances, stirring tributes and unforgettable moments, the awards enlighten human minds to the reality that true success is void of color and gender.

MSRDC Admin